Holder for illustrated post-cards.



B. 0. WILLIAMS. HOLDER FOR ILLUSTRATED POST CARDS. APPLICATION FILEDDE.0.17.1907.

909 ,497, Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

- /J- Y i 31411244 50; 76 @vifncoom I M attaining THE. NORRIS PETERS cawnsumm'an, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST O. WILLIAMS, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR TO PERFECTIONCARD RACK COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1%09.

Application filed December. 17, 1907. Serial No. 406,948.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST O. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Holders forIllustrated Post-Cards, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in holders for illustrated postcards and more particularly to those constructed of wire and adapted tobe interlocked with and suspended from each other in a vertical stringor chain.

One object of the invention is to provide a holder of this character forthe storage and display of illustrated postal cards or similar articles,in which the cards will be efiectively supported in an upright orvertical position so that they may be readily seen.

Another object of the invention is to so construct a holder of thischaracter that it may be made of comparatively light wire and at thesame time be strong and substantial enough to support a large number ofcards or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide interlocking holders ofthe character mentioned which may be readily engaged with and disengagedfrom each other and which when engaged will adjust themselves so thateach one hangs squarely.

Nith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thefeatures of novelty hereinafter fully described and claimed, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of a group of my improved inter ocking holders; Fig. 2is an enlarged perspective view of one of the holders; and Fig. 3 is avertical section through the same.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the drawingsand is constructed of a single piece of wire of suitable size andlength. This wire is bent angularly at its center as at 1 to provide aV- shaped up or central member or portion 2 at the ends 0 the arms orbranches of which are formed angular bends or seats 3, 4 which rovidemeans of suspension for the ho der. Vertical back retaining portions ormembers 5, 6 depend from the outer sides of the supporting or sustainingbends 3, 4 and at the lower extremities of the portions or members 5, 6are formed bottom supporting portions 7, 8, on which latter the cards orsimilar articles rest as shown in Fig. 1. At suitable pointsintermediate the ends of the back portions 5, 6 are formed end retainingportions or members 9, 10 which are in the form of right angular shapedarms having inner portions 11 which project horizontally or outwardly atright angles to and in the plane of the back portions 5, 6, and outerportions 12 which project forwardly from the outer extremities of thebranches 11. lhese end retaining portions or arms 9, 10 are formed bydoubling or bending the wire of which the back portions 5, 6 areconstructed so as to provide upper and lower right angular brancheswhich are united at their converging outer extremities and have theirinner extremities twisted together as shown at 13 so as to give thenecessary strength. The bottom portions 7, 8 are disposed in horizontalplanes and at their inner ends are formed downwardly bent loops 14, 15adapted to form seats for the reception of the bends or seats 3, 4 onthe holder suspended from the one of which they form a part. The loopsor seats 14, 15 are at the lower extremities of the back portions ormembers 5, 6 so that the weight of the several holders will be upon saidportions or members and not upon the bottom portions 7, S as presentlyexplained. The wire at the outer extremities of the bottom portions 7, 8is bent upwardly and inward y at an acute angle to provide upwardly andinwardly inclined front retaining portions or members 16, 17 whichproject upward a suitable distance, preferably a little short of the endretaining portions or arms 9, 10, and terminate in inwardly extendingheads 18, 19 preferably constructed by bending the extremities of thewire into circular loops or rings disposed in vertical planes at rightangles to the plane of the portions 2, 5, 6.

The upper holder A of the series may be suspended from a wall or othervertical support by engaging its bends or seats 3, 4 with screws, nailsor other suitable supporting devices or it may be suspended by a swivelor similar means engaged with said bends so that the entire series ofholders may be swung or turned at any angle. This upper holder supportsthe next lower holder B which is engaged with the former by insertingits V- shaped central member 2 between the portionsorarms' 9'; 10 andends or heads 1'8, 19 of the portions 16, 17 and then dropping themember 2 into the loopsor seats T4; 1 5; llt will be seen that owing tothe angularshape of the member 2 the bends or. seats 3,, 4 will I dropinto the loops or seats 14', I5 and the lower holder will thus adjustitself upon the u per one which supports it. Thenext holder B and asmany more as maybe neces-v sary or desirable are suspended in a similarmanner.. w

From the foregoing. it will be seen thattby rovid'ingi the loops orseats 1.4, 15 at the ower end of the vertical. back portions or members5, 6 the weight of thelower holders will be in a vertical. line andalmost entirely upon. said members 5, 6 so that. there. will be littleor. no tendency of suchlower holdersto pull downwardly the bottomportions 7 8' oi the holder which suspends them. It will be furthernoted that by making the front retainingor confining portions L6; 11asshown, that is, so that they project upwardly and inwardly at. aslight angle and have the heads or enlargements 18,. 19 at their upperends, the cards in such. holder will be" yieldably pressed against thehaclcportions. or members 5, 6 so that they will be supported invertical position and; cannot tilt so as. to prevent them from beingreadily seerr when. the holder is on a level with or lelow the eye. 'lheprovision of the inwardly projecting. heads or enlargements T8,. 19cause the. cardsto be engaged at two points only by thefi'ont retainingportions so that. they may be more. readily removedand there will beless danger of scratching or marring t'he cards. By con.- structing theend retaining portions or members 9,. 1:0 asshovvn and; disposing them.upon. the back members 5,. 6' it will be seen: that the device will bemuch stronger and more rigid than if they were carried by the frontportions or members 1.6,. 17'.

By makingv the holder asabove describedit may be constructed of muchlighter wire than it is necessary to use in the construiction of similardevices heretofore produced;

It will? be' understood that. while I preferably make the holder of asingle piece of wire it may be otherwise constructed.

Having thus: described my invention what I claim is: I

1. A holder of' the character described formed of wire and havingstraight upright back portions 5, 6, front. portions, bottom portionsuniting. the front and back portions, and the V-shaped central member 2'having. its lowest point at its center and the diverging arms inclinedupwardly and outwardly from said center and connected by the bends 3', 4to the upper ends of the back portions 5-, 6 substantially as and forthe purpose specified. &

2. A holder of the character described, formed of wire and havingsupportingv bends or seats, front and back portions united by portionsintermediate their ends.

3. A holder of. the character described,

formed 01 wire and having supporting bends or seats, vertical backportions, horizontal bottom supporting portions and resilient front.portions inclined inwardly and upwardly and having at their upper endsheads to provide single points of. contact for cards-or. other articles;V p

7 4s holder of? the character described formed. of wire andhavingsupporting. bonds or. seats, vertical back portions terminating inthe downwardly turned loops or seats L4 and 1-5- to receive thesupporting. bends or seats of the succeeding holder, the horizon. tallydisposed bottom. portions projecting forwardl. 1 from theloops; or seats14 and 15 and resilient front retaining portions inclined inwardly andupwardly tromsaid: bottom portions andhavingo their u per endsfiormed'with inwardly projecting, readsto ro-vide single points of contact forthe front aces of the cards, substantially as setfortlr.

5-. A series ot holders of the character de scribed each. formed ofwireand: having'ventical back portions, aV-shzaped central. memberhaving diverging. arms inclined upwardly; and outwardly from its centerto. its. outer ends supporting bonds or seats uniting the latter to theback. portinns, upright front portions, horizontal? bottom portionsprojecting inwardly tromithe firont portions, and the downwardly bentloops or seats uniting the bottom portions and the lower ends of theback portions and adapted to receive the supporting bends or seats atthe succeeding er, substantially as set forth. 7

6 A holder of the character described formed of wire and havingsupporting bends or seats, vertical back ortions, horizontal bottomportions 7 8 resrient front retaining portions 16-, 17,inclined-upwardly and inwardly from the outer ends of. said horizontalbottom ortions, fi ront portions being indepen ent of each other anddisposed o. posite said back portions, and. the inwardly projectingheads 18, 1.9 at the upper ends of said front portions said. headsprojecting inside of the plane of the front portions and adapted toprovide single points of contact for the front faces of the cards. andthe other articles in the holder substantially as set fortln.

Z; A holder of the character described,

formed of wire and having supporting bends or seats vertical. backportions, right. angu- Q lar end. retaining portions arrangedintermegdiate the ends of said back portions and i formed by doublingand bending. the latter, front retaining. portions bottom su portingportions uniting, the front and bash tionst por- 8. A holder of thecharacter described, formed of a single piece of wire bent angularly atits center to provide a V-shaped central member having at the ends ofits diverg- 5 ing arms angular supporting bends or seats, vertical backportions depending from the latter and having their intermediateportions bent to provide outwardly projecting right angular endretaining portions or mem- 1O bers, horizontal bottom supportingportions profecting outwardly from the lower ends of the vertical backportions and united thereto by downwardly bent loops or seats to receivethe supporting bends 0r seats of the succeeding holder, and upwardly andinwardly inclined front retaining ortions rising from the bottomportions an having their upper ends bent to provide inwardly extendingcontact loops, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ERNEST O. WILLIAMS. Witnesses L. O. LITTLE, M. L. SKINNER.

